So tonight we are hosting our first ever Retro Cocktail party at our house. We are looking forward to a really good time with our Olive 66 friends. Lynnette and I both picked up some really cool retro clothes for the evening and I look forward to putting on my powder blue pants and matching them with a nice brown and blue striped skinny tie that just screams 1955!!! On the menu will be cocktail weenies, cheese logs, jello molds, sweet and sour meatballs and deviled eggs. The drink menu will include Whiskey Sours, Greyhounds, Vodka Martinis, and possibly Amoretto Sours.

This morning i made my own sour mix but was interrupted by a roofer who is trying to get us to use his company to replace our roof. His name is Gordon but tells us to call him Flash. Seriously….Flash AHH AAHHH. Pretty sure we are not gonna go with “Flash” since the very fact that he put “Flash” Gordon on his business card screams tacky.

Welp, decided to give the whole blogging thing a try again after about a year off. I do not really know why I stopped but I do remember enjoying the whole thing. A lot has changed in the past year. We have moved out of that dump Olive 66 and into a much bigger house that offers us a lot more room to escape from the animals….I mean kids. Anyways….if stuff comes to me to blog about then I will….

JOE LEGAL vs. JOSE ILLEGAL
You have two families: “Joe Legal” and “Jose Illegal”.
Both families have two parents, two children, and live in California .
Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes
$25.00 per hour with taxes deducted.
Jose Illegal also works in construction, has NO Social Security Number,
And gets paid $15.00 cash “under the table”.
Ready? Now pay attention….
Joe Legal: $25.00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000.00 per week, or $52,000.00
Per year. Now take 30% away for state and federal tax; Joe Legal now has
$31,231.00.
Jose Illegal: $15.00 per hour x 40 hours = $600.00 per week, or
$31,200.00 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes. Jose Illegal now has
$31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays medical and dental insurance with limited coverage for
His family at $600.00 per month, or $7,200.00 per year. Joe Legal now
Has $24,031.00.
Jose Illegal has full medical and dental coverage through the state and
Local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has
$31,200.00.
Joe Legal makes too much money and is not eligible for food stamps or
Welfare. Joe Legal pays $500.00 per month for food, or $6,000.00 per
Year. Joe Legal now has $18,031.00.
Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for food stamps
And welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays rent of $1,200.00 per month, or $14,400.00 per year. Joe
Legal now has $9,631.00.
Jose Illegal receives a $500.00 per month federal rent subsidy. Jose
Illegal pays out that $500.00 per month, or $6,000.00 per year. Jose
Illegal
Still has $ 31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays $200.00 per month, or $2,400.00 for insurance. Joe Legal
Now has $7,231.00.
Jose Illegal says, “We don’t need no stinkin’ insurance!” and still has
$31,200..00.
Joe Legal has to make his $7,231.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline,
Etc.
Jose Illegal has to make his $31,200.00 stretch to pay utilities,
Gasoline, and what he sends out of the country every month.
Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after
Work.
Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.
Joe Legal’s and Jose Illegal’s children both attend the same school. Joe
Legal pays for his children’s lunches while Jose Illegal’s children get
A government sponsored lunch. Jose Illegal’s children have an after
School ESL program. Joe Legal’s children go home.
Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same police and fire services,
But Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.
Jose with his free tax payer entitlements makes $65,000.00 a year!
What a slap in the face to Joe and the American people! Do you get it, now?

Only a couple of weeks left in school this year and I am so ready for a break. We have been pretty busy here with so many things over the past few months. We have been looking for a new house since it looks like our condo is literally falling apart at the seams. The HOA is on the verge of bankruptcy since more than half of the residents here do not pay their HOA bills. Seems crazy to me.

On a happier note…Mike and i are excited to go game 2 of the Coyotes playoffs. It is going to be a white out and I need to still pick up something to wear.

Well spring break is a little over 2 days away and i have never been more ready. For some reason this sees to have been a really exhausting year for me. I feel so emotionally drained. I think some of the problems the kids have end up going hoe with me. I find myself thinking about them and all their problems. I need to learn how to leave it all at the classroom door when i leave. I never used to have this problem…maybe it is just a tougher year but it seems like i am dealing with more drug issues, parent issues and gang issues than ever before. Spring break will be good.

Not sure what the job holds in the future. There is a good chance my program is getting cut (yup, Mr. Obama’s gonna save us all). If that happens then i could be out of a job. I have been looking but there really is nothing opening up. Things are pretty bad here in Arizona for teachers. It does not seem like anyone is hiring.

So today is a national holiday (or at least it should be). Yes the Super Bowl has arrived and even though my beloved Cowboys are watching from their living rooms I am still very excited. I am pulling hard for the Saints. This is not because of the hurricane or the years that the Saints have spend in the basement of the football house. Yes, it will be exciting to see a team that has never been there in the Super Bowl and I am happy for their fans. The real reason however, that I am pulling so hard for the Saints is because of my absolute hatred of the Colts and Peyton Manning. Now I am sure he is a nice guy and does a lot of good…but I just cannot stand him! He, his father,and his brother aggravate me so much that I just cannot bear to see them win another Super Bowl

So for the Super Bowl we will be going to Mike and Vanessa’s house in Gilbert to have a small little Super Bowl party. It is going to be a lot of fun. We will be grilling wings, making sliders and doing an Italian version of stuffed jalapenos. Matchstick sweet potato fries are also on the menu…i might try them but as many of you know I am not the biggest fan of sweet potatoes.

The weather here is starting to warm up and spring break is just a few short weeks away. The school year is really winding down fast and there is still no resolution as to teacher jobs next year. It is a very stressful time for a lot of us. We will wait and see what happens.

Yup…that is how I started my holiday today. We have a friend that just had a baby and decided to use a Mohel (pronounced moyle) to do the circumcision. Basically the mohel is a rabbi and it is apparently a lot more humane and quicker than being done in a hospital. Anyway…it was still quite the experience to see it happen. I am not sure I would want to have it done but if I did I would definitely go the same route as my friends. They chose not to do the whole Jewish ceremony part of it which I guess is quite involved. Afterwards we celebrated by having strudel and mini muffins….yum

Speaking of yum…I just started a new food blog that has recipes Lynnette and I make. We decided to do this so that we would have a place to keep all our recipes as well as provide easy access for searching when we run into those nights where we are not inspired by anything. The link is under the food links to the right so check it out